Mastering Academic English :Who is Responsible When AI Goes Rogue? (Listening/ Speaking)

Описание: 🎙 Engineering Ethics Podcast – AI Liability Debate

In this academic listening exercise for first-year engineering students, we examine a critical question:

Should engineers be legally liable for unintended harm caused by AI systems they design?

This discussion presents structured arguments for liability, against strict liability, as well as counter-arguments and rebuttals using formal academic vocabulary appropriate for university-level study.

📚 Required Reading Resources

Please review the following academic sources before or after listening:

1️⃣ British Columbia Law Institute (2024)
Report on Artificial Intelligence and Civil Liability
🔗 https://www.bcli.org/project/artifici...

2️⃣ Sayre & Glover (2024)
“Machines Make Mistakes Too: Planning for AI Liability in Contracting”
Case Western Reserve Journal of Law, Technology & the Internet
🔗 https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu...

🧠 Pre-Listening Critical Thinking Questions

Before listening, consider the following:

What is the difference between ethical responsibility and legal liability?

Should engineers be responsible for outcomes they did not intend?

How should responsibility be distributed when multiple actors contribute to a technological system?

Can strict liability discourage innovation?

How predictable must a risk be before it becomes legally foreseeable?

📖 Vocabulary Glossary

Civil liability – Legal responsibility for harm or damages under civil law.
Strict liability – Legal responsibility without proof of negligence or fault.
Negligence – Failure to exercise reasonable care.
Foreseeability – The ability to reasonably predict potential consequences.
Upstream actors – Designers, developers, or manufacturers involved before deployment.
Deployer – The organization or individual who implements or uses a system.
Distributed responsibility – Shared accountability among multiple contributors.
Deterrence – Prevention of harmful behavior through legal consequences.
Fault-based standard – A legal approach requiring proof of wrongdoing or carelessness.
Emergent behavior – Unexpected system behavior arising from complex interactions.

🎓 Academic Skills Focus

This listening activity helps students develop:

Academic listening comprehension

Legal and ethical vocabulary

Argument analysis

Critical thinking

Structured debate skills

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🌐 https://www.efuas.com

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